A week ago I would have walked past hundreds of Scented Sundew plants, and not even noticed that they were there. Having found the first Scented Sundew on Saturday, I’ve had a heightened awareness of tiny leaves, looking for the telltale sticky hairs. It turns out we have patches of Scented Sundews all over our … Continue reading Scented Sundew Part 2
Author: fifteenacres
Climbing Sundew Drosera macrantha Endl.
On Saturday, I posted two photos of the Scented Sundew an insectivorous plant. I took these photos late in the afternoon, when the light was not good. They were quick photos, for identification of the flower. Heading back out on Sunday, in better light and with the aim of taking better photos, I discovered they were … Continue reading Climbing Sundew Drosera macrantha Endl.
Scented Sundew: Drosera whittakeri ssp. aberrans
The wild flowers are just starting to emerge! How exciting! This week, the Nodding Greenhoods began to show and today we noticed very tiny white flowers coming up in places on the recently mown grass behind our garden beds. Tell-tale sticky red hairs covering the leaves revealed it was an insectivorous plant, and further research … Continue reading Scented Sundew: Drosera whittakeri ssp. aberrans
Surprising a Drying Darter
On this day, I was walking, deep in thought, when a harsh call snapped me back to reality. I had come face to face with a bird that I thought was a cormorant. I’m not sure which of us was most surprised. I’m so glad I had my camera with me, so I could photograph the … Continue reading Surprising a Drying Darter
Lingering Moments
It is almost a year since we moved here. As I look back over the photos, I notice a number which were intended for posts, that never quite made it to the blog, so here they are. Each one lingering as a moment I remember clearly. They all resonate with me enough to share with … Continue reading Lingering Moments
Nodding Greenhoods Are Emerging
It’s fantastic to see the Nodding Greenhoods emerging again. This was the first species of Australian Native Orchid I had ever seen. When we first moved in they were flowering, in large patches right across our property. Hopefully they will do the same this year, but so far we have a few scattered along … Continue reading Nodding Greenhoods Are Emerging
Kangaroo Update – now there are two joeys
I’ve held off posting these photographs for a couple of weeks, as one of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo joeys seems almost ready to climb out of the pouch. I thought I might be able to include photos of the joey hopping around. However, since I took these photos, the kangaroos have been grazing in a … Continue reading Kangaroo Update – now there are two joeys
Colourful Skies: Rainbows, Sunrises and Sunsets
Over the last two weeks, we’ve had changeable weather, resulting in some very colourful skies. Enjoy these photos of a mid afternoon rainbow, stormy sunset sky, and a ‘red sky in the morning’ sunrise.
I found a Striated Thornbill in the Fernery
If it had not been for the persistent, urgent chirping, I would not have noticed the Striated Thornbill in our fernery today. It seemed to be giving an alarm call, as if I were intruding into its territory. The longer I watched it, the more exaggerated the flitting from one place to another appeared to … Continue reading I found a Striated Thornbill in the Fernery
Acacia Tree in Bloom
Our Acacia tree is in full bloom at the moment. This tree has obviously been planted by one of the previous owners, and the cheerful yellow blossom stands out against the grey-green eucalypts. I’m enjoying it immensely.
Common Bronzewing Pigeons Return
A pair of Common Bronzewing Pigeons have started to turn up to the bird feeder each day. Toward the end of Winter last year, we had a pair of bronzewings turn up occasionally, so perhaps it is the same two birds? This time, they’re not just showing up once or twice a day. I come … Continue reading Common Bronzewing Pigeons Return
Kookaburra in Winter Sun
Finally, after many frustrating attempts, I have a good photograph of a kookaburra! This one was sitting in the cool afternoon sun. Last night our temperature approached zero degrees Celsius, and it was already very cool when I took this shot.
Scarlet Robin
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a photo of a bird to be added to the Species List. Yesterday I saw two species I had not noticed here before, but I only managed to capture photographs of the Scarlet Robin. The second sighting was a group of small birds which were probably Red-Browed Finch, … Continue reading Scarlet Robin
November Wildflowers: Part 1
The last month of Spring seems to be the peak flowering period for Australian native plants that grow around here. In November they were the most spectacular, as well as the most plentiful. Leading into this month, rainfall had been good, the dam was full, and the ground moist. The late Spring sun shone down … Continue reading November Wildflowers: Part 1
October Wild Flowers – Part 3
Thank you to KMS who left a comment on my Cranberry Heath post, including a link to the VicVeg website. What a fantastic breakthrough. This wonderful website allows me to search by flower colour, location within Victoria, and type of plant (herb, tree, shrub etc) meaning, I have finally been able to put names to … Continue reading October Wild Flowers – Part 3
Stepping Outside the Boundary Fence
Apart from the occasional ‘self-sufficiency’ post, I try to keep the focus of my blog to the land outside our house, but inside the boundary fence. However, the native heath flowering in the Enfield State Park is so beautiful, I thought I would share it with you. We just happened to be driving past on … Continue reading Stepping Outside the Boundary Fence
A Sourdough Fiasco
Over the last few months I have been valiantly attempting to make sourdough bread. I’ve spent days cultivating the starter culture, adding wholemeal rye flour and filtered water every six hours to feed it. After about a week, I had a lovely frothy starter, that looked just perfect. My bread, however, wasn’t perfect. Despite my … Continue reading A Sourdough Fiasco
Cranberry Heath
In between documenting the native flowers on the property month by month, I’m pausing to post a flower we have open right now. It is a tiny plant – not much taller than lichen – and it is growing in only one spot on our dam bank, as far as I can tell. I’ve looked … Continue reading Cranberry Heath
Soil Analysis by Anthill
Last week, I noticed a very sculptural looking lip around the entrance to an ant nest. It took me by surprise. Shortly after moving in, I had just stopped noticing anthills. We have so many of them they become unremarkable. On this day, I was actually looking for fungi and flowers, but there was something … Continue reading Soil Analysis by Anthill
Baby Joey Photos: A new addition to our kangaroo family
It has been obvious for some time that the mature female had a joey in her pouch, but this is the first time we have actually glimpsed it. This makes five kangaroos here now. The middle-sized female also now seems to be carrying a joey, so I guess five will soon turn to six.
Playing Detective: Rainfall, Kangaroos, and the Lack of Native Flowers
Being new to this area, I don’t have a history of seasonal changes. What’s normal for these parts? I simply don’t know. When we arrived here in August 2012, the land abounded with native flowers, including ten species of native orchid flowering at one time. This continued in early and mid Spring, then as the … Continue reading Playing Detective: Rainfall, Kangaroos, and the Lack of Native Flowers
Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting – Momentarily Glorious
Momentarily Glorious … I wonder at the promise of a parched sandy landscape and one tiny orchid leaf waiting for rain to unfurl sensuous silken blooms … the fleeting moments of a violet sky calling corella flocks to roost somewhere other than here trailing sounds of raucous joy from North to South then silence until … Continue reading Weekly Photo Challenge: Fleeting – Momentarily Glorious
Greenhouse Cucumbers
Pollinating the cucumber flowers while the plants are locked in the greenhouse, away from insects, turned out to be a non-issue. The plants we chose are self pollinating. That’s pure luck – no forethought involved at all. It’s now possible to see the baby cucumbers growing on the vine. The yellow flowers are a beautiful … Continue reading Greenhouse Cucumbers
After rain comes: More Fungi
The rain has stimulated a range of fungi to grow. I have not had time to research any of them, so at the moment, I can only write about where they were found. See the captions beneath the photos for this information. If you know about any of these mushrooms, I would love to hear … Continue reading After rain comes: More Fungi
Fifteen Acres 